AHJ v AHK: Division of Matrimonial Assets and Child Custody Dispute in Divorce

In the divorce case of *AHJ v AHK*, the High Court of Singapore, presided over by Justice Tay Yong Kwang, addressed ancillary matters following the dissolution of the marriage. The court determined the custody, care, and control of the parties' son, ordering joint custody with shared care and control. The court also ruled on the division of matrimonial assets, including the De Royale and St Martin's apartments, and ordered the husband to pay maintenance for the son. The wife's claim for maintenance was denied. The judgment was delivered on May 10, 2010.

1. Case Overview

1.1 Court

High Court

1.2 Outcome

Orders made for joint custody with shared care and control, division of matrimonial assets, and maintenance for the son.

1.3 Case Type

Family

1.4 Judgment Type

Grounds of Decision

1.5 Jurisdiction

Singapore

1.6 Description

Divorce case involving division of matrimonial assets, child custody, and maintenance. The High Court addressed custody, care, and control of the son and division of assets.

1.7 Decision Date

9 May 2010

2. Parties and Outcomes

Party Name	Role	Type	Outcome	Outcome Type	Counsels
AHJ	Plaintiff	Individual	Partial	Partial	Foo Siew Fong of Harry Elias Partnership Adrienne Chong Yen Lin of Harry Elias Partnership
AHK	Defendant	Individual	Partial	Partial	Solomon Richard of Solomon Richard & Company

3. Judges

Judge Name	Title	Delivered Judgment
Tay Yong Kwang	Judge	Yes

4. Counsels

Counsel Name	Organization
Foo Siew Fong	Harry Elias Partnership
Adrienne Chong Yen Lin	Harry Elias Partnership
Solomon Richard	Solomon Richard & Company

4. Facts

The parties were married on June 7, 2000, and divorced on October 30, 2007, due to unreasonable behavior.
The husband is a 52-year-old retired helicopter pilot, and the wife is a 34-year-old Major in MINDEF.
The parties have one son, born in January 2006.
The matrimonial home was the De Royale apartment, bought in 2006 for $812,000 and now worth $1.2 million.
The husband purchased the St Martin's apartment in 1993 for $465,000, and it is now worth about $1.5 million.
The wife claimed she was left alone to care for the son while the husband was on overseas deployment.
The husband retired in March 2007 to spend more time with the son.

5. Formal Citations

AHJ v AHK, Divorce Suit No DT 2839 of 2007, [2010] SGHC 148

6. Timeline

Date	Event
2000-06-07	Parties married
2004-01-01	Parties' first child was still-born
2006-01-01	Parties' son was born
2006-01-01	Parties bought De Royale apartment
2007-03-01	Husband retired
2007-06-01	Divorce proceedings commenced
2007-06-01	Parties sold Hillside condominium
2007-07-01	Wife and son left matrimonial home
2007-10-30	Marriage dissolved by Family Court
2008-02-01	Volkswagen GT sold
2008-07-16	Interim order made by Tan Lee Meng J regarding care and control of the son
2010-03-01	Husband to contribute $350 per month as maintenance for the son with effect from this date
2010-05-10	Judgment issued

7. Legal Issues

Division of Matrimonial Assets
- Outcome: The court ordered a division of the matrimonial assets, awarding the wife 45% of the net value of the De Royale apartment and 20% of the net value of the St Martin's apartment.
- Category: Substantive
Child Custody, Care and Control
- Outcome: The court ordered joint custody with shared care and control, with the son spending time with each parent on a set schedule.
- Category: Substantive
Maintenance for the Son
- Outcome: The court ordered the husband to contribute $350 per month as maintenance for the son, in addition to sharing pre-school fees and other incidental expenses equally with the wife.
- Category: Substantive
Maintenance for the Wife
- Outcome: The court decided there was no need to order the husband to pay any maintenance to the wife.
- Category: Substantive

8. Remedies Sought

Custody, care and control of the son
Maintenance for the wife
Maintenance for the son
Division of the matrimonial home and other assets

9. Cause of Actions

Divorce
Division of Matrimonial Assets
Child Custody
Maintenance

10. Practice Areas

Divorce
Family Litigation

11. Industries

No industries specified

12. Cited Cases

Case Name	Court	Affirmed	Citation	Jurisdiction	Significance
No cited cases

13. Applicable Rules

Rule Name
No applicable rules

14. Applicable Statutes

Statute Name	Jurisdiction
No applicable statutes

15. Key Terms and Keywords

15.1 Key Terms

Matrimonial assets
Care and control
Joint custody
Maintenance
De Royale apartment
St Martin’s apartment
CPF
Ancillary matters

15.2 Keywords

divorce
matrimonial assets
child custody
maintenance
Singapore
family law

17. Areas of Law

Area Name	Relevance Score
Family Law	95
Division of Assets	90
Matrimonial Assets	90
Divorce	90
Child Custody	85
Child Support	85
Maintenance	80
Children's Welfare	75
Property Law	50

16. Subjects

Family Law
Divorce
Matrimonial Assets
Child Custody
Maintenance